Stubbs, Levi

▪ 2009

Levi Stubbles 

      American singer

born June 6, 1936, Detroit, Mich.

died Oct. 17, 2008, Detroit

was the lead vocalist for the Four Tops, one of Motown's most popular acts in the 1960s; his gruff, passionate vocals were set against gentler background harmonies and propelled the group to the pinnacle of fame with such songs as “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964), “I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (1965), “It's the Same Old Song” (1965), “Reach Out I'll Be There” (1966), and “Bernadette” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love” (both 1967). The group, which included Renaldo (“Obie”) Benson, Abdul (“Duke”) Fakir, and Lawrence Payton, formed after the quartet sang together at a party in 1953. The foursome called themselves the Four Aims until 1956, when they joined Chess Records as the Four Tops. During the next decade they performed primarily jazz-oriented material in clubs and released singles for a number of labels, which were poorly received. After signing with Motown (1963), the group saw its career soar. Though the Four Tops split with Motown in 1972 (when the label relocated to California), the foursome scored a major hit in 1973 with “Ain't No Woman like the One I've Got”; the Four Tops eventually returned for another five-year stint with Motown in the mid-1980s. The group's original lineup continued to tour and record together throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

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